Home-made gym equipment - instructions and demonstrations.

A Salmon Ladder is one of those things I'd almost forgotten about until I saw the ads for the television series Arrow, where he's putting one to work. I'd love to build one for the home gym here (or more likely, the backyard) - but how? There are a couple of basic approaches.
I'll detail those in a minute, but first, a spot of history :
What is a Salmon Ladder? How Did It Come About?
Think of a Salmon Ladder as an extra challenging pull-up variation, with a little Kipping and Plyometrics thrown in. The video below will show you exactly what it is.
As for the origin : as far as I can tell, the first time a Salmon Ladder was shown to the world was in competition 18 of Sasuke (shown in many countries as 'Ninja Warrior'); held in Spring 2007. The course was greatly modified following competition 17 (which was considered 'too easy' by some), and a number of new obstacles - notably the Salmon Ladder - were introduced.
To give you a taste, here's the Salmon Ladder being tackled admirably in a later Sasuke competition (Sasuke 27) :
As you can see, it's a fairly simple idea; though certainly a challenging obstacle. In fact, the first time it appeared in a Sasuke competition, only 50% of the competitors succeeded in negotiating it.

Soon to be a wrist roller."How do I get my forearms bigger!?!" is a question I hear a lot at the gym and when I talk to clients who are unhappy with the size of their lower arms. What is the answer to the mysteriously huge forearms of the pros? The wrist roller! This is the easiest, most effective (in my opinion) exercises for building forearms like Popeye without all of that crazy canned spinach business (no disrespect towards Popeye of course!).

Platform for Roman Chair Squats.Via Rob Russell : long-term readers may remember the superb DIY equipment skills of Pat Hodgson, and this is one of his many creations - a platform for Roman Chair / Sissy Squats. Nice one.

DIY Plyo Boxes.A friend asked me this morning about instructions for home-made plyo boxes, and Today Fitness reminded me of a piece in the CrossFit Journal a couple of years ago. If you're looking to construct a couple for yourself, grab the free PDF. Superb.

what we're saying

ready to get fit? not quite sure where to start?

A dose of Online Personal Training is ideal. Your place, their experience.

As you'd expect, I work with a number of Fitness Professionals myself (both personally, and to research various parts of this site) - including the wonderful Josh Hewett. If you're about to begin your own strength-training journey, swing by his site at :

Weighted Jumping Squats
Interesting combination.
NB : We first looked at this one in the weekly Strength & Fitness Newsletter (part of the Strength Kit). If you'd like to have it sent to you automatically (free!) each week, just add your email here.
Looking At : Jul 19, 2015

images of strength

gift buying guide

When your spouse/sibling/friend is ready to 'get in shape' (or they already are), what do you get them?

No matter what sort of training they're in to, we've got a few suggestions. And if you're looking for something specific, we'll help you find out where to get it. Just leave a comment on any of the posts listed below.

There are a number of articles that may help you in your quest. Specifically :

want to help out?

To help run all of these sites, we're on the lookout for several additional Moderators. To welcome new community members, bring up new items to discuss and generally keep the conversations on track.

If you're already spending a bit of time at any of the above sites, and would like to offer your services as a Moderator, just drop us a line. And thanks for that, it really is appreciated.

in the wild

It’s always great to see how other people train.

If you’d like to send in a photo of yourself in action (wearing one of the Straight to the Bar Shirts of course - the latest design is here), just upload it somewhere and send us a link. Cheers.

the future of fitness

Over the years we’ve looked at the fitness industry from a number of angles - discussing the history, present approaches and potential future trends involved. Fascinating areas.

When it comes to the last part - discussing potential future trends - things get a little, well, unusual. If it’s an interest you share, or you just want to find out the types of things we think are likely, check out the posts tagged ‘Futurism’. And of course, Gymchat 224 (Roundtable) - The Future of Fitness. Superb discussion.

checking out

Rings of Power.This looks superb.
Mike Gillette's 'Rings of Power' explains the various ways to use - progressively - this incredible tool. With clear emphases on both strength and rehabilitation, it's an ideal starting point for many. Particularly the 'over 40' (of which I'm a proud member) crowd.
For a glimpse into the world of 'Rings of Power', a brief quote from the review page :
If you care about getting strong, staying strong, and remaining injury free, Rings of Power is essential reading. I incorporated rings into my own training program a couple of years ago and am glad I did. At 45 years old, I am able to continue my strength pursuits unhindered by the joint and tendon injuries that plague many in the over-40 athletic community. - Dr Chris Hardy
Mike Gillette's 'Rings of Power'. Perfect.
NB : We first looked at this one in the weekly Strength & Fitness Newsletter (part of the Strength Kit). If you'd like to have it sent to you automatically (free!) each week, just add your email here.
And if you're looking for other training-related books I recommend, check out the complete lists on Goodreads.
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If you ever wake up with that 'just run over by a truck' feeling, you need a copy of Tim Hull's Functional Correction Manual. Not only will it help you to locate and repair the problem, it'll help prevent it happening in the future.

When it comes to body transformation - whether that's an increase in strength, packing on a bit of muscle or losing a bit of excess fat - this is the perfect place to start. Dr Berardi's Precision Nutrition.

If you've ever watched a Bruce Lee film and marveled at his strength, speed, agility, endurance, flexibility or muscularity, this book should take pride of place in your collection. Unlike many other writings covering everything from Lee's training methods to nutrition, this book is based not on the recollections of people around him; but on Lee's own notes. Brilliant.

For a full list of what we're reading at the moment (training-related and otherwise), join us on Goodreads. And for a cut-down list showing only the ones we recommend, swing by the Recommended Books & DVDs page. See you there.